


The Dumbledore Conspiracy

by me_llamo_nic



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Quibbler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-05
Updated: 2011-02-05
Packaged: 2017-10-15 10:38:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/159985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/me_llamo_nic/pseuds/me_llamo_nic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An article from The Quibbler, speculating about how Dumbledore always knew so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dumbledore Conspiracy

**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

Beloved mentor, a prominent (if eccentric) member of our society, a powerful man, and one of the cleverest wizards of all time – OR WAS HE?

Veteran _Quibbler_ journalist and the adventurous mind behind the illuminating work _My Year With the Nargles_ , Luna Lovegood has more.

(continued on page 42)

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE is certainly a well-known name among wizarding households, even now. Some have insisted that his name will be as common as that of Merlin; only time can tell. It’s been nearly twenty years since the Hogwarts Headmaster was laid to rest, but he is still revered and well-respected by most of the magical community. That he was powerful is certainly a fact that goes without question. That he used that power to promote the strength of good over evil is sometimes debated, but still frequently accepted as true.

However, the recent publication of _The Potter Biographies Volume VII_ has reignited interest in the wondrous warlock. The Dumbledore that Harry Potter knew certainly showed more depth than he ever did to the public. It is likely that Potter had the most informative glimpse behind Dumbledore’s colorful curtains in nearly a century. And yet, even The Chosen One did not learn very much from his interactions with the headmaster. According to accounts, Potter was frequently frustrated by the lack of information that Dumbledore provided.

But Dumbledore had information. _Volume VII_ lays out some of the most delicately executed, quasi-conspiratorial plans that this reporter has ever seen. People influenced with a delicate finesse, memories unlocked, items collected in secret, and events predicted with even more accuracy than prophecy. The question raised now is: How did Dumbledore know so much?

Many maintain that he was outstandingly clever, that anyone who studied as diligently as he had could achieve similar results. Some have said that he was a gifted manipulator, able to convince anyone to do anything whether by persuasion or coercion. It has been pointed out that Dumbledore had unrestricted access to the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, which sat dormant in his office between Sorting Ceremonies, able to give Dumbledore insight into the way each of his student’s minds worked. Others still have claimed that Dumbledore was indeed a prophet, attuned to the clairvoyant vibrations of time and events, perhaps working together with Sibyll Trelawney, a professor who was asked to remain with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, even in spite of staffing difficulties. The idea has even been voiced that perhaps Dumbledore had learned to communicate with Nargles (a truly difficult process requiring a great deal of patience – for full details, see my published works available at many fine retailers or at a discount through a special owl order form found in the back of this issue). Some of our readers have even gone so far as to suggest that Dumbledore collaborated with some of the most nefarious, but brilliant, conspirators of our time and may even have had an indirect hand in the infamous Rotfang conspiracy.

While one theory could certainly be as likely as the next, yours truly has discovered the possibility of an even more dangerous truth. A source for Dumbledore’s knowledge that is likely to raise paranoia and suspicion in even the most skeptical of our readers.

Consider the year following the return of a certain Dark wizard. A year in which then Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge earned his infamous place among history’s pages by using the Ministry’s might to discredit the rumors of You-Know-Who’s return, to do nothing to act against the Death Eaters, to actively pursue to the wrong people, _to fight against Albus Dumbledore_. Dumbledore had been demoted from the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards, he was even in danger of losing his Order of Merlin, First Class. Surely this time, if any time, should be a time for the Headmaster to fear for his power, for his access to information. But was Dumbledore afraid?

The following quote is taken from _The Potter Biographies_ , part of a conversation that took place in the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix.

“…But Dumbledore says he doesn’t care what they do as long as they don’t take him off the Chocolate Frog cards.”

 _As long as they don’t take him off the Chocolate Frog cards_.

Think of the possibilities. The power in some wizarding portraits is well-documented. Even _The Potter Biographies_ speak of a collection of portraits _in Dumbledore’s office_ which acted as a sort of network that the Headmaster utilized to great advantage. What if he had done the same with the cards? Not just two or three portraits in prominent locations, but hundreds – perhaps thousands of Chocolate Frog cards, inconspicuously distributed throughout the wizarding world. Thousands of eyes and ears, taking note of everything. And at the center of it all, a master copy of the card, with the ability to relay any relevant information directly to the Headmaster.

Harry Potter buffs can readily tell you that Potter’s very first Chocolate Frog card was Dumbledore. Yours truly even managed a brief interview with Ron Weasley (who was present at the time); he had this to say.

“Yeah… You know, I think it was a Dumbledore card.”

The incident is accounted in _Volume I_ , registering Potter’s surprise at his first encounter with a moving photograph. Perhaps, upon seeing that he had been unwrapped by Harry Potter, the Dumbledore in the card immediately left to report on his most fortuitous level of access to The Chosen One. It would certainly go a long way toward explaining the curious amount of information that Dumbledore seemed to have. _Volume I_ also speaks of a miraculous rescue with Dumbledore somehow realizing that he must return to his school just in time to rescue Harry Potter from You-Know-Who. Some suggest a strange sixth sense that almost palpably existed about the headmaster. Perhaps he could simply feel that something was not right. Or perhaps a little card had tipped him off that Potter was going to try and protect the Sorcerer’s Stone.

So many questions surround this man, this mythological figure, this Albus Dumbledore. And perhaps the most haunting thought of all: Who has the master card now? Was it destroyed upon the event of Dumbledore’s death? Perhaps left to someone in Dumbledore’s will, a document that remains to this day in the sole property of the Ministry of Magic. Do they have the card as well? Is the card still out there? Who has access to the wealth of information it can provide? How would they utilize such power? For the greater good? Or for their own personal gain?

Dumbledore is portrayed as knowing a great deal about what went on in his school and in the world at large. How did he always know _so much_? The given knowledge of Dumbledore’s power and cleverness can only account for so much. The other theories can only account for so much.

Filling in the blanks…are the Chocolate Frog cards!


End file.
